Elon Musk To Divorce From Wife Talulah Riley

Last night Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk announced via Twitter a separation from his wife, the British actress Talulah Riley.

"@rileytalulah It was an amazing four years. I will love you forever. You will make someone very happy one day," Musk wrote.

This morning on the phone Musk commended Riley as "a great woman" with whom he simply fell out of love. They had been together for four years, married for one. Riley has lived away from their home in Bel Air for nearly six months.

"We took some time apart for several months to see if absence makes the heart grow fonder, and unfortunately it did not," Musk said. "I still love her, but I’m not in love with her. And I can’t really give her what she wants."

Musk said he will "always be friends" with the 26-year-old Pride & Prejudice star but said it’s "far too difficult to stay married. Every day was just too difficult."

The South African native called Riley the "polar opposite" of his first wife, Justine Musk, who had blogged extensively about the acrimonious terms of their divorce. Elon and Justine have five young sons together.

Musk told me he still believes in love. And he would like to have a meaningful relationship with someone in the future. For now, though, he will bide his time.

"I think it would be extremely unwise for me to jump into a third marriage without spending considerable time figuring out if the third one will work--it was never my intention to have a short marriage," he said. "Essentially I’d want to be super sure before getting married again, but I certainly would love to be in a relationship. For sure."

Riley could not be reached for comment and apparently has not responded to Musk’s tweet.